Bible Study Notes 7/29/2025​

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(Much gratitude is given to Dr. Carol Kaminski for her Old Testament Survey course at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the study materials that accompany and inform this teaching.)

 

Instead of killing Ben-hadad, Ahab allows him to live and even makes a covenant with him, reminding us of Saul’s failure to obey O’s command to kill king Agag.

• The prophet then tells Ahab that his own life will be taken instead of the Aramean king, Ben-hadad.

• This prophecy foreshadows Ahab’s (after defeat and death by the Arameans).

After Ahab experiences the two military victories over the Arameans, Ahab seeks to acquire a vineyard belonging to a Jez’reelite named Naboth.

• Naboth refuses to sell his property, for he wants to keep it within the family in accordance with Israelite inheritance laws.

• Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, is angry and signs letters in Ahab’s name and sets up false witnesses to testify against Naboth so that he is stoned to death.

• She then tells Ahab to take possession of the vineyard since Naboth is dead, but O has a word of judgment for Ahab, however, which he speaks through the prophet Elijah: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood”.

There is more judgment coming, which O communicates through his prophet.

In this pronouncement, Elijah recalls O’s judgment on Jeroboam and Baasha, whose families were completely wiped out – none remained alive.

Now Elijah announces that Ahab’s family will be wiped out as well, but it happens a few years later when king Jehu kills Ahab’s 70 sons.

Elijah also has a word of judgment against Jezebel: “The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel”.

• She will be trampled by horses, the dogs will lick her blood and eat her corpse, and only her skull, feet and the palms of her hands will remain.

After the murder of Naboth, it is said of Ahab that—Read I Kgs 21:25-26.

• Ahab’s actions are compared to the Amorites, the people who had been living in the land of Canaan.

• O had vomited them out of the land because of their abominations.

• Instead of I being separate from the nations, they have become like them.

• Ahab humbles himself before O, however, as a result O’s full measure of judgment against his household is delayed; it will come about during the days of his sons rather than his own days.

Ahab dies in battle while fighting against the Arameans, in fulfillment of O’s word against him for not following his instruction to kill the Aramean king, Ben-hadad.

• The fatal blow comes to Ahab while he is in his chariot—his blood spills and later, when the chariot is being cleaned, the dogs lick up Ahab’s blood.

  • This is in fulfillment of Elijah’s prophecy.

 

Ahaziah

Ahab is dead.

His son Ahaziah becomes king and does evil in the sight of O, following in Jeroboam’s sins, worshipping Baal, as his father had done.

Ahaziah becomes sick, but instead of seeking O concerning his illness, he sends messengers to inquire of Baal-sebub, the god of Ekron.

• Elijah announces judgment against him for his idolatry, telling the king that because he has gone to Baal-zebub instead of turning to the God of I, he will not recover from his sickness.

• Ahaziah dies “according to the word of the Lord that Elijah has spoken”.

Jeroram (also called Joram)

Another son of Ahab, Jeroram, becomes king in place of his brother, because Ahaziah dies without a son.

Jehoram does evil in the sight of O, “clinging to the sins of Jeroboam”, although he does destroy the pillar of Baal that his father had made.

During the reign of Jehoram, O takes Elijah directly to heaven in a divine chariot, and Elisha becomes his successor.

Early in Jehoram’s reign, King Mesha of Moab rebels against him, So Jehoram gathers his army for battle and calls upon Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the king of Edom, to fight with him against the Moabites.

• Jehoram, Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom approach Elisha, inquiring whether O will give them the victory.

• Elisha tells them that O will give them victory over the Moabites but only because he has regard for Jehoshaphat.

The Prophet Elisha

Elisha is a 9th C BC prophet who performs many signs and healings:

• Multiplying a poor widow’s oil.

• Prophesying that a barren woman with give birth to a son.

• Multiplying food so that a small number of loaves and grain feed 100 men.

• Healing a man named Naaman (a Syrian army captain) with leprosy.

  • The healing of Naaman is significant as someone from the “families of earth” come to realize that “Behold, I know there is no God in all of earth but in Israel”.

Through the prophetic ministry of Elijah and Elisha, we are beginning to see how O deals with his people during the period of the monarchy.

• A prophet is one who has been called by O to stand in his council and to speak his word.

• Biblical prophets interpret their own historical circumstances from O’s perspective.

• They proclaim, “thus says the Lord” to O’s people.

Elisha, like I’s other prophets stands in the council of O, hears the word of the Lord and speaks boldly to his contemporaries.

He is given a vision to see the purposes of O, even among the nations, and he prays that the eyes of his countrypeople might be opened.

Jehu is Anointed King

There is great famine in Samaria that lasted seven years; it was so severe that women ate their children.

This was one of the curses of the Mosaic covenant.

Jehoram is still king over I. but Elisha is to anoint Jehu as king, according to O’s earlier words to him.

• Elisha sends a prophet to Ramoth-Gilead with a flash of oil in his hand.

• As Jehu is anointed king, the prophet announces O’s word to him.

Jehu is anointed king and because of the word of the prophet, Jehu conspires against Jehoram, who has been wounded while fighting against the Arameans (Syrians).

• Jehu rides his chariot to Jezreel, where Jehoram is recovering.

• Ahaziah, king of Judah (not to be confused with the northern king), is also at Jezreel, for he is visiting the wounded king.

• Jehoram knows Jehu is not coming for peace so he and Ahaziah quickly call for their chariots.

• Jehu finds the two kings in the property of Naboth at Jezreel.

• Jehu cries “treachery” to Ahaziah, and in a moment, Jehoram is shot with an arrow and dies; Ahaziah is shot while fleeing.

Remember that O has pronounced judgment against Ahab’s household through Elijah.

• In accordance with this word, Jehu tells his officer to place the body of Jehoram, son of Ahab, in the field of Naboth, the very place where Naboth’s blood had been poured out.

• Now Jehoram is dead, and Jehu becomes king over I.

Jehu

When Jezebel hears that king Jehu is in Jezreel, she paints her eyes, adorns her head, and gives a greeting to Jehu when he enters the gate.

• Jehu sees Jezebel looking down from the window, he orders his officers to throw her down.

• Her blood splashes on the wall and over the horses.

• The king tramples her under foot, after which Jehu proceeds to eat a meal.

• Upon the return of his servants to bury Jezebel, only her skull, feet, and the palms of her hands can be found, which is fulfillment of O’s word of judgment that “in the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel”.

Another important event…in Jezreel:

• Remember when Jehu was anointed king by a servant of Elisha, he was told to strike down Ahab’s entire household to avenge the blood of O’s servants.

• Now Jehu is king, but Ahab’s 70 sons continue to live in Samaria.

• Jehu sends a letter to the leaders of the city, commanding them to kill Ahab’s sons and bring their heads to him in baskets to Jezreel.

• They do so and place the heads of Ahab’s sons at the entrance of the city gate.

• Then Jehu kills all who remain alive from Ahab’s household, so there are no survivors, leaving Ahab’s household completely wiped out.

All this takes place in fulfillment of O’s judgment that had been pronounced against Ahab and his household through the prophet Elijah.

• Jehu not only wipes out Ahab’s household, but he also eradicates Baal worship by killing all who worship Baal.

• Because Jehu does what is right in O’s eyes, O tells him that his sons to the 4th generation will sit on the throne of I…Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam, and Zechariah.

But…even though Jehu eradicates Baal worship, the golden calves are not destroyed, so idolatry continues throughout his reign.

• We are told that “Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord the O of Israel with all his heart—he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made I to sin”.

There are signs that the end of the kingdom is near Jehu dies and his son Jehoahaz becomes king.